Health Systems and Safety Research

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Centre Director – Professor Johanna Westbrook Explore our research outputs See what’s happening within AIHI View the latest AIHI annual report

Transformative health systems research and innovation

The Centre for Health Systems and Safety Research (CHSSR) conducts pioneering research to improve healthcare safety and quality through innovation, data-driven tools and lived-experience collaboration.

CHSSR is a leading Australian research centre focused on improving the safety, quality and efficiency of healthcare. Led by Professor Johanna Westbrook, our work responds to critical challenges in health systems – including technological complexity, patient safety risks and mounting pressures on the health and aged care workforce.

Our research delivers practical solutions to real-world problems in healthcare. We work closely with clinicians, consumers and policymakers to ensure our innovations are meaningful, usable and transformative.

We investigate how human, organisational and technological systems interact to shape care delivery across hospitals, aged care and community settings. Our research is driven by a commitment to patient safety, equity and the wellbeing of health professionals.

Person-centred approach

A defining feature of our approach is the active involvement of healthcare workers and consumers – people with lived experience – at every stage. Their insights help ensure our work is grounded, relevant and responsive to real-world needs.

Advanced health care evaluations

Using innovative tools and approaches we conduct multi-method evaluations to assess the effectiveness of complex interventions, such as digital systems, on the safety and quality of care. This work is supported by novel tools for measuring workflows and quantifying task time, including our WOMBAT software, designed to translate complex information into actionable insights for frontline staff, managers, and policymakers.

Transformative application

In close partnership with industry and health system partners, CHSSR develops innovative, easy-to-use tools that bring together siloed health datasets – often powered by artificial intelligence – to support clinical decision-making and system-wide improvements.

From predictive analytic dashboards to consumer facing apps and tools to measure patient report outcomes and clinician engagement, we deliver:

  • advanced evaluation models and research tools
  • applied research to support improved care delivery
  • decision-support tools incorporating AI and digital tools
  • evidence on health system performance, safety and equity
  • evidence for optimising clinical information systems
  • person-centred care delivery systems.

Research streams

We conduct research within five streams:

  • aged care evaluation and research (ACER)
  • diagnostic informatics
  • health analytics and patient safety
  • healthcare engagement and equity research
  • medication safety and electronic decision support.